Dawgs By Nature
The Cleveland Browns have set their initial 53-man roster with a few interesting, notable decisions made, including the release of kicker Dustin Hopkins. Kicker Andre Szmyt takes over the role and will kick in his first NFL game in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
Hopkins’ time with the Browns has been a sharp roller coaster of experiences. Acquired in a small trade with the Los Angeles Chargers, Hopkins had his best season as a pro in his age-33 season in 2023 when he hit 33 of 36 field goals, including all eight of 50 yards or more. The team extended his contract before the 2024 season, making him one of the highest-paid kickers in the NFL.
In return, the Browns saw their kicker make just 18 of 27 field goals and miss three extra points in 2024, but his contract made it difficult for them to release him, despite other options.
A difficult training camp this year finally led the team to pull the plug, but Cleveland is now on the hook for dead salary cap hits this year and next of almost $6 million combined. A little over $2 million of that will be this year, slightly less than his cap hit if he was on the team, with the rest coming next year.
Over $3.5 million in dead cap money in 2026 to a kicker who will not be on the team to start the 2025 season. A wild swing from an extension that seemed like money well spent at the time.
Are you surprised how quickly Hopkins’ performance fell off? Do you think the dead cap hit should have impacted the team’s decision this year?
Share your thoughts in the comment section below
